Tray-lifting device for show-cases.



0. I. TAWNEY. TRAY LIFTING DEVICE FOR snow CASES.

APPLIGATION FILED DEG. 2, 1913.

atto'oneq Patented June 2, 19M

mozntoz 0. I.

OLIVER I. TAWNEY, OF TURKEY, ARIZONA.

TRAY-LIFTING DEVICE FOR SHOW-CASES.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, OLIVER I. TAWNEY, a citizen of the United States,residing at Turkey, in the county of Yavapai and State of Arizona, haveinvented new and useful Improvements in Tray-Lifting Devices forShow-Cases, of which the following is a specification.

An object of the invention is to provide a device for use in connectionwith trays and show cases and which is adapted to support boxes of goodswhereby the trays carrying the goods can be raised into position topermit the customer to select the goods he desires from the box.

The invention embodies, among other features, the provision of a deviceparticularly adapted for use in connection with show cases containingboxes of cigars and the like, and in which it is desired to have thecustomer select his own purchase from the box, thus making it necessaryto raise the box a distance within the show case to permit of readilyremoving the article from the box.

In my invention I aim to provide a device whereby the salesman canreadily lift the tray and box carried thereby into a position wherebythe customer can easily select his purchase from the box, after whichthe tray and box are returned to their proper position .within the showcase.

' In the further disclosure of the invention reference is to be had tothe accompanying drawings, constituting a part of this specification, inwhich similar characters of reference denote corresponding parts in allthe views, and in which:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of my device, the full linesindicating the normal position of the tray and the dotted linesindicating one of the trays in raised position; Fig. 2 is a verticaltransverse sectional view taken through the show case and showing themanner of operating the trays; and Fig. 3 is a fragmentary verticalsectional view showing the arrangement of the spring for aiding inreturning the trays to normal position.

Referring more particularly to the views, I disclose a show case 10having the usual horizontal partition 11 on which are arranged a seriesof trays 12. A stem 13 projects from the under side of each tray andthrough an opening 1 1 formed in the partition 11 and the lower end ofthe stem has Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed December 2, 1913.

Patented June 2, 1914. Serial No. 804,290.

pivotal connection with a rod 15 lying beneath the partition andextending upwardly and rearwardly toward the back of the show case 10,the said rod between its ends having pivotal. connection with adepending supporting member 16 secured to the under side of thepartition. The free end of the rod 15 has pivotal connection with anactuating member 17 extending vertically at the rear of the show caseand operating in a groove 18 formed in a bar 19 supported horizontallyon the rear of the show case. The upper end of the actuating member 17terminates in a suitable knob 20 and the actuating member is providedwith an integral lug 21 preferably formed immediately be neath the knob20.

As shown in Fig. 1 when the trays 12 are in normal position they reposeupon the partition 11 and when it is desired to move one of the traysinto position so that a box 22 carrying suitable goods can be raised toa position relatively to the show case to permit of the ready removal ofthe goods from the box, the usual cover 23 of the show case is firstslid into open position as shown and a downward pressure is then exertedon the rnob 20, thus imparting a downward movement to the inner end ofthe rod 15 and consequently moving the stem 13 upwardly, thus carryingthe tray 12, having the box 22 thereon, upwardly in the show case into aposition which will permit of the purchaser readily removing the goodshe desires from the box. In order to secure the tray in its uppermostposition the actuating member 17, when being moved downwardly, is pushedslightly inwardly to permit the lug 21 to pass through the groove 18 andthen by pulling slightly inwardly on the upper end of the actuatingmember it will be apparent that when pressure is released on theactuating member the lug 21 will abut against the under side of the bar19, thus holding the tray in raised position. When the purchaser hasremoved the goods he desires from the box, the salesman first swings theactuating member slightly forward to disengage the lug 21 from the underside of the bar 19 and then the actuating member can be readily raisedupwardly to normal position due to the weight of the goods upon the trayand which will result in the tray being returned to normal positionwithin the show case so that the tray will lie upon the partition 11 asshown in full lines in Fig. 1.

In order to facilitate the operation of the tray I preferably provide aspring 2% coiled around a pin 25 pivotally connecting the rod 15 withthe actuating member 17, with one end of the spring abutting against therod and the other end abutting against the actuating member.

From the foregoing description it will be apparent that with a device ofthe character described a tray containing goods and normally lyingwholly within the show case can be readily raised into position topermit of the purchaser easily helping himself to the goods he desires,after which he tray can be conveniently returned to normal positionwithin the show case and the cover of the show case closed to protectthe articles in the boxes within the show case.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. in combination with a show case having a partition, a tray normallyreposing upon the partition, a stem carried by the tray and projectingthrough an aperture in the partition, a rod having pivotal connectionwith the stem, an actuating member having pivotal connection with therod, a supporting member depencing from the partition and having the rodmounted to swing hereon between its ends, a bar supported on the showcase and having a groove therein, and a lug carried by the actuating memher and adapted to engage the under side of the bar when the actuatingmember is operated to raise the tray in the show case, so that the saidlug engaging the said bar will hold the tray in raised position.

2. In combination with a show case having a partition, a tray normallyreposing upon the partition, a stem carried by the tray and projectingthrough an aperture in the partition, a rod having pivotal connectionwith the stem, an actuating member having pivotal connection with therod, a supporting member depending from the partition and having the rodmounted to swing thereon between its ends, a bar supported on the showcase and having a groove therein, 2. lug carried by the actuating memberand adapted to engage the under side of the bar when the actuatingmember is operated to raise the tray in the show case, so that the saidlug engaging the said bar will hold the tray in raised position, and aspring having engagement with the said actuating member and the said rodfor returning the tray to normal position within the show case when thesaid. lug is disengaged from the said tray.

In testimony wh reof E aiiiX my signature in presence of two witnesses.

OLIVER i. TAlVNEY.

iVitnesses ELMER SMITH, JAMES P. CLEATOR.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of .Patents, Washington, D. G.

